The present invention relates to a duo-functional nonwoven material. More specifically, the present invention is a material which has a cloth-like appearance and feel due to the fibrous component. However, upon wetting of the structure on one surface, the fibrous portion of the material starts to dissolve and move toward the underlying support structure which is most typically a net-like material. As a result, both the fluid and a portion of the fibrous web material are transported through the support material thereby leaving a cleaner, dryer surface. While having a wide variety of uses, the material of the present invention is particularly well suited for use as a cover material for personal care products such as diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, incontinence garments, wound dressings and the like.
Nonwoven materials are constantly being used in an ever increasing number of areas due to the wide variety of properties that can be engineered into their design. As a result, nonwovens have been used to supplant cloth in numerous products. This has been particularly true in the area of personal care products, most commonly in the area of liner materials for diapers, sanitary napkins and incontinence garments.
When using nonwovens as liner materials it is usually desirable to make the nonwoven as soft and cloth-like as possible since this is the material which will have the highest degree of contact with the wearer. Unfortunately, in making the material more cloth-like it will often have a greater tendency to retain fluids in a fibrous matrix. This is especially true with respect to menses and urine when they contact the respective liner materials of sanitary napkins and diapers. To overcome this problem, some designs have gone to the use of perforated films, film-like materials, and netting materials. Unfortunately, while films and netting materials will sometimes provide cleaner, dryer surfaces after being insulted by urine and menses, they also tend to have a slick, plastic feel which is commonly viewed as a disadvantage by the user. Further, film materials tend to be less breathable thereby making them hotter and less comfortable to the wearer. Consequently, the design of liner materials for personal care products has often been a compromise situation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a material which will combine the properties of both cloth and film thereby forming a duo-functional material.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a material which initially has the appearance and properties of a cloth-like nonwoven material, however, upon wetting exhibits properties more like a film or net material.
It is yet another object to provide a process for forming a material according to the present invention.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent upon a further review of the following specification, drawings and claims.